Democratic Party protests over playing "Blocking This Card with That Card" song... SBS PD steps down from broadcast

Radio 'Sisa Teukgongdae' Host PD Lee Jae-ik Steps Down
Ruling Party: "Content Reminiscent of Lee Jae-myung... Legitimate Protest"

It was announced on the 6th that Lee Jae-ik, SBS PD who has been hosting SBS Radio's 'Lee Jae-ik's Current Affairs Special Forces,' will be stepping down from the broadcast.
Photo by SBS

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Joo-hee] SBS Radio's 'Lee Jae-ik's Current Affairs Special Forces' host Lee Jae-ik, SBS PD, revealed on the 6th that he stepped down from the show following protests from the Democratic Party of Korea. Lee PD had been hosting the program since June 2020.

On the same day, Lee PD explained the background of his departure from the broadcast through his blog. He said, "I received a call from the company last Saturday evening. When they said there was a protest from the political circle, I immediately realized the issue."

According to Lee PD, the Democratic Party took issue with a part of the lyrics from DJ DOC's song 'Na Ireon Saramiya' ('I'm This Kind of Person'), which was played on the broadcast on the 4th and introduced by Lee PD.

Lee PD stated, "I listened to the song and introduced part of the lyrics: 'Naege neun gwandae hago nam ege neun mak dae hago i kadeu ro jeo kadeu makgo' (meaning 'Being lenient to myself but rude to others, blocking this card with that card'). I mentioned that we should not elect a politician who is lenient to themselves but rude to others as president. Although I cannot name anyone specifically, each listener probably has someone in mind," he said.

He continued, "My intended direction was to criticize 'naeronambul' (double standards). I did not mention or hint at any specific candidate, and 'naeronambul' has been a bad practice I have often expressed indignation about on the broadcast. It was an issue I loudly criticized about all four candidates. Playing the song and letting listeners freely interpret the meaning of the selection is a method I have used countless times," he explained.

He added, "Over the weekend, protests came from the Democratic Party side. They claimed the broadcast was unfair, targeting candidate Lee Jae-myung. Some focused on the word 'card' rather than the message of the lyrics, contrary to my intention," and said he was instructed by the company to step down from his position as host.

Lee PD apologized, saying, "I failed to foresee and be cautious about the potential issues with my words and song selection. I apologize and am sorry." However, he also said, "As a broadcaster, I want to express a small hope. Even when I played that song and introduced those lyrics, I believed it was up to the listeners to interpret. Was my thinking wrong?" He urged, "Although I am stepping down, I hope that in 2022, a democratic country's broadcasting will guarantee that level of tolerance and freedom."

Regarding this, Kwon Hyuk-ki, deputy spokesperson of the Democratic Party's election campaign committee, said at a briefing at the Yeouido party headquarters on the 7th, "Although DJ (Lee PD) did not mention candidate Lee Jae-myung's name during the broadcast, the content was such that it could be recognized as referring to him, using expressions like 'should not be elected president.'" He pointed out, "Since broadcasting is done by a public figure, telling people to vote for or against a specific candidate violates election laws."

He added, "It is the legitimate authority of the election committee to make inquiries and protests to the broadcasting station regarding this matter," and said, "The action against (Lee PD) was taken by SBS, and we did not tell them what to do."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.